Concept art from Zelda BotW Masterworks Book - scrapped Divine Beasts Guardian designs and more

[Deleted member 2229]

These designs look really cool but they don't Zeldas aesthetic at all. Even twilight princess or Majoras mask(the darkest Zelda games) has nothing on this level.

I'd prefer they save these for a new Ip or something rather than a Zelda game.

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Theyre only the darkest games until something darker comes along. Theres nothing wrong with introducing new aesthetics to an old IP and I think Zelda of all franchises has room for it. Honestly I would have liked BoTW more had it actually tried to be more of a radical departure than it actually was. This would be a good step.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

Theyre only the darkest games until something darker comes along. Theres nothing wrong with introducing new aesthetics to an old IP and I think Zelda of all franchises has room for it. Honestly I would have liked BoTW more had it actually tried to be more of a radical departure than it actually was. This would be a good step.

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Hmm? BoTW WAS a huge radical departure from previous Zelda games. I can't think of many other long running franchises that have changed as much as BoTW did from previous entries. Honestly, going full on dark and creepy like this would have been the only way they could've gone even further and, in this case, I think a new IP would be more suited for designs like these

 

[Deleted member 2229]

Hmm? BoTW WAS a huge radical departure from previous Zelda games. I can't think of many other long running franchises that have changed as much as BoTW did from previous entries. Honestly, going full on dark and creepy like this would have been the only way they could've gone even further and, in this case, I think a new IP would be more suited for designs like these

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The radical departure aspect of BoTW is honestly greatly exaggerated. Its still very much Zelda in the sense that every other Zelda is, just with more freedom. It still has the same combat system (albiet expanded), shrines and dungeons, equipment and skills and everything that makes Zelda, Zelda. Just in an a more expansive open world setting and without linearity. I can see why its considered a radical departure in a series that has run on a similar formula for quite some time. But its not a "radical departure". But anyway thats off topic.

But yes I think having a darker setting and aesthetic would have been a far more interesting and radical departure than just BoTW as it is now. Hopefully its introduced in a MM-like sequel.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

The radical departure aspect of BoTW is honestly greatly exaggerated. Its still very much Zelda in the sense that every other Zelda is, just with more freedom. It still has the same combat system (albiet expanded), shrines and dungeons, equipment and skills and everything that makes Zelda, Zelda. Just in an a more expansive open world setting and without linearity. I can see why its considered a radical departure in a series that has run on a similar formula for quite some time. But its not a "radical departure". But anyway thats off topic.

But yes I think having a darker setting and aesthetic would have been a far more interesting and radical departure than just BoTW as it is now. Hopefully its introduced in a MM-like sequel.

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Well of course it's still going to retain a lot of elements from previous entries in the series. It's not a new IP. But they changed as much as they could while keeping it the same series. Saying it's just in a more open world and with less linearity is a huge oversimplification of how much was changed for BoTW. The fact that it's a completely open game that you can tackle however you desire and in whatever order you want and with just about everything being so well integrated with one another is a huge change from practically every Zelda after the NES era and even those games weren't anywhere near as open or offered as much direction as BoTW does. It's changed are stressed as hard as they are because the game is a huge shift. Even the shrines and Divine Beasts are designed differently than previous Zelda dungeons and the amount and variety of equipment, weapons, and skills in BoTW far eclipse any previous Zelda title

That's fair, we all have our opinions. I personally think designs like this would be better suited for a new IP so they can go all out and do whatever they want with their designs and ideas rather than trying to completely change an established franchise into something else and lose what made that franchise enjoyable in the first place

 

[Zarzolaon]

Some of the creepier guardian design could've made for some nice one-of-a-kind overworld bosses.

That looks like a Stand.

BEHOLD THE POWER OF MY STAND, 「A HORSE WITH NO NAME」!

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...
I love this post.

The Wizzrobe design on the right could've actually been a much-needed villain character's design

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It reminds me of something. Some character from a Disney movie, cartoon, or another game maybe, but I can't place it... (perhaps every character ever with hair covering both eyes).
I like it, though.

 

[carlosrox]

Holy fuck that's all incredible art and designs.

The super dark Lovecraft style stuff is really crazy. I would love a super dark Zelda that goes 100% with it, next to no comedy or light heartedness whatsoever. And I don't mean MATOOR, I just mean super dark in tone, atmosphere, and art.

TP and MM are the darkest in the series I think but both have a long way to go to maintain a consistent tone.

BOTW sequel could be about hate (I'm not being literal here).

 

[Nanashrew]

The Wizzrobe design on the right could've actually been a much-needed villain character's design

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Saw this on Twitter.

 

[azeke]

Ok but WHY DIDN'T WE GET THE DINOSAUR?!

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You did get the dinosaur:

 

[eseqko]

that castle town is one hell of a cocktease

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I totally was hoping the DLC would take place in a pre-Calamity Ganon timeline, I do hope Nintendo plans to make a game in that setting.

 

[Japanmanx3]

Intense guardian designs. Would make for a very Lovecraftian store theme. I would dig it.

 

[ASaiyan]

You did get the dinosaur:

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Don't gimme that :P. Birds are B-tier dinosaurs, lol.

 

[LightEntite]

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someone played alot of bloodborne during this games development

 

[unicornKnight]

Courtesy of NintendoEverything

Some of these are pretty fucking rad

Early Divine Beasts:

Pre-Calamity Castle Town:

Early Guardians:

Hope some of these can make it into the next game!

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Love that giant not-enemy crab!

Now give us a new Majora's Mask in that town. 7 days schedule this time!

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

Those guardians look like creatures that would have been in Stephen King's The Mist.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

There's gotta be a name for this phenomenon where concept art for a game seems to suggest a more evocative, darker direction that ultimately got cut for something cleaner with more mainstream appeal.

I propose The Epic Mickey Effect.

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Quick, put this on TV Tropes

And yeah, a lot of this is really colorful and creative. I can see why they'd avoid going all-out with the crazy stuff when the game was already a crazy reinvention of the franchise, but still. Underwater Guardian could have at least made it in.

 

[Kaitos]

Getting some strong Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark vibes from this one!

Edit:

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lmao that was my exact reaction too.

 

[Drewboy64]

My god, those early guardian designs would've made encountering them early on even more scary

 

[enkaisu]

Whoaaa. These are seriously amazing. I'm genuinely upset we didn't get some of those beasts. Crab and sting/manta ray would have been awesome.

Castle town looks beautiful, it's a shame we didn't get to see any kind of big central city/town. I get why, but it would've been really nice!

 

[BaconHat]

The early guardians design would not have worked at all in the game with its art style, but DAMN i want to see them in another game.

 

[Azerare]

Eh, I'm not sure I want the next game in Hyrule to rebuild it. I think we should go to a strange new world like Termina was.

One of BotW's best qualities was it's sense of discovery even though we're familiar with the classic Death Mountain, Lost Woods, Gerudo Desert. Imagine the sense of discovery a brand new world that the series has never been to be for would incite.

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It would be interesting to go back to Termina. Expand/flesh it out more. The engine from BOTW is a good baseline. Just throw in some quality dungeons and some fun/cool bosses.

 

[Dark Cloud]

The early guardians design would not have worked at all in the game with its art style, but DAMN i want to see them in another game.

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Those should be part of a new IP.

 

[Menx64]

Talking to a friend of mine, we were both wondering what cuts they had to do to make sure the WiiU was the same experience as on the Switch. Looking forward to Majora's mask Open world now.

 

[Deleted member 4247]

Talking to a friend of mine, we were both wondering what cuts they had to do to make sure the WiiU was the same experience as on the Switch. Looking forward to Majora's mask Open world now.

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These designs not making it obviously has nothing to do with making the game run on Wii U. They simply decided on an art style, and much of this stuff clearly didn't fit. And maybe a few Divine Beasts were cut due to time constraints. The Switch in portable mode isn't all that much more powerful than the Wii U anyway.

 

[Menx64]

These designs not making it obviously has nothing to do with making the game run on Wii U. They simply decided on an art style, and much of this stuff clearly didn't fit. And maybe a few Divine Beasts were cut due to time constraints. The Switch in portable mode isn't all that much more powerful than the Wii U anyway.

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I agree. I was not saying they cut that from the game, just wondering what if the WIIU version did not exist. The game struggles a bit as is on the switch so I didnt not meant in terms of raw power, but time.
Bad wording on my side. I still hope for MM open world tho.

 

[Vadara]

These look cool but then again cut content always looks really cool because it's mysterious and incites your imagination.

 

[AzureFlame]

What we got is no where near this awesome.

 

[kvetcha]

Getting some strong Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark vibes from this one!

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YEP.

Nightmare fuel.

 

[Shizza]

Some of those scrapped guardian designs are legit nightmare fuel. I'm gonna say they made the right choice.

 

[Skittzo]

It's always cool to see what Nintendo's artists can do outside of their typical wheelhouse. Now I want these artists to collaborate with FROM on an exclusive Souls-like.

Eternal Souls or something.

 

[Platy]

Don't gimme that :P. Birds are B-tier dinosaurs, lol.

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But yeah, the Brontosaur skycrapper is awesome

 

[TetraGenesis]

The Guardian that seems to have a city on top could have been AMAZING

Like, imagine a settlement that doesn't have a fixed location but travel all around the map.

WHEW

EDIT: I wish they could make a prequel or a sequel in which the towns are restored tbh, would love a Zelda game but with more NPCs and even more towns to explore.

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I've been thinking a lot lately about how they could get more use out of their amazing map and assets with a Majora's Mask-like followup by making it built around jumping through time. Like OOT, Oracle of Ages, or the dark world in other games, but on a larger scale.

You could have players jumping through the modern map that they know, then a variety of it that's back in the Champion's Era (like, right after everything goes to shit but the civilization isn't decimated yet), and then little areas which jump all the way back 10,000 years earlier to the era of high technology.

Or you could make it about some sort of time fracture where all of these eras overlap with each other throughout the entire map.

It'd be a way to get more ancient tech in the game without being locked to a modern world, introduce new Divine Beast-esque structures, add new varieties of guardians, incorporate Leviathans and other huge creatures that no longer exist in the modern timeline, and expand on/drastically alter areas of the map that were underutilized in BOTW without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Idk about you, but I feel like that would be a brilliant project for a new younger director and could see another mainline Zelda release within a couple years while BOTW leadership is in early production for the next fully original title. There's a precedent with that kind of creative revisiting with Majora's Mask, A Link Between Worlds, and the Oracle games. I think there's still so much you could do with that world.

 

[Sovan Jedi]

I like that thin, long-legged creature idea. I imagine that would be utterly terrifying to come across out and about, you're just minding your manners and a bunch of really thin streams come to the ground and plant themselves, then a thin face cranes down to stare down at you with burning red eyes. Then you look up and realise you were walking underneath this super thin, barely-visible creature the entire time.

I could imagine the fun they'd have making it bend and twist and loop around trying to attack you too.

 

[Harry Potter Obama]

Early Guardians:

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Pretty cool that Nintendo got the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark guy as a guest artist